Three Big Ten Trends

1. All eyes are on the state of Michigan. New Michigan coach Brady Hoke is overhauling the program, with fresh schemes and cliches (he loves “a foundation of toughness”) aplenty. In East Lansing, senior quarterback Kirk Cousins will try to change his luck against elite competition; his Spartans lost to Iowa and Alabama by a combined score of 86-13 last season. If he gets good blocking, though, Michigan State will have the league’s most potent offense. “I don’t think we’re going to have Wisconsin’s line of this past year,” he says. “But we always seem to come together in September.”

2. Iowa is right where it wants to be. When Iowa gets summer love, it crashes in the fall. When nobody notices the Hawkeyes, watch out, Big Ten. Significant losses all over the field plus the fallout from January’s frightening rhabdomyolysis episode have the Hawkeyes picked no better than middle of the pack. But another sturdy set of future NFL linemen, plus defensive superstar Shaun Prater, a senior, leading the secondary, might make the Hawkeyes a tough out. “We know what we have, even if other people don’t, and we believe in ourselves,” senior receiver Marvin McNutt says. A breakout season for junior quarterback James Vandenberg, who inherits the starting gig from Ricky Stanzi, could result in 10 victories for the Hawkeyes.

3. Purdue and Northwestern are lurking. With a healthy quarterback, a solid offensive line and talented youth in the secondary, Purdue looks like the Leaders Division sleeper. Defense-challenged Northwestern fills the role among the Legends thanks to senior quarterback Dan Persa, healthy again after rupturing an Achilles’ tendon last season. When he’s on, Persa is the conference’s most valuable offensive player. “If you didn’t notice, at the end of last year, we really stunk without him,” coach Pat Fitzgerald says.

SN’s All-Conference Team

Offense

QB Dan Persa, Sr., Northwestern

RB Edwin Baker, Jr., Michigan State

RB Montee Ball, Jr., Wisconsin

OL Michael Brewster, Sr., Ohio State

OL David Molk, Sr., Michigan

OL Joel Foreman, Sr., Michigan State

OL Riley Reiff, Jr., Iowa

OL Kevin Zeitler, Sr., Wisconsin

WR Marvin McNutt, Sr., Iowa

WR Jeremy Ebert, Sr., Northwestern

TE Kyler Reed, Jr., Nebraska

Defense

DL Jared Crick, Sr., Nebraska

DL Mike Martin, Sr., Michigan

DL Jerel Worthy, Jr., Michigan State

DL Vince Browne, Sr., Northwestern

LB Michael Mauti, Sr., Penn State

LB Lavonte David, Sr., Nebraska

LB James Morris, Soph., Iowa

CB Alfonzo Dennard, Sr., Nebraska

CB Shaun Prater, Sr., Iowa

S Trenton Robinson, Sr., Michigan State

S Brian Peters, Sr., Northwestern

Specialists

K Carson Wiggs, Sr., Purdue

P Brad Nortman, Sr., Wisconsin

Bowl Projections

Rose

Nebraska vs. Stanford

Capital One

Ohio State vs. Florida

Outback

Wisconsin vs. Georgia

Gator

Iowa vs. South Carolina

Insight

Michigan State vs. Oklahoma State

Texas

Penn State vs. Texas Tech

TicketCity

Michigan vs. Tulsa

Little Caesars

Northwestern vs. Western Michigan

Las Vegas

Purdue vs. TCU

— Dave Curtis

Conference Power Poll

By Matt Hayes

1. Wisconsin

2. Nebraska

3. Ohio State

4. Penn State

5. Michigan State

6. Iowa

7. Northwestern

8. Michigan

9. Illinois

10. Minnesota

11. Purdue

12. Indiana

Rising: Wisconsin. The Badgers already had a team good enough to win the Big Ten with or without Ohio State’s offseason implosion. The addition of QB Russell Wilson completely changes the dynamics of the offense. They’re more multiple, dangerous and prolific at the most important position on the field. One more thing: star LB Chris Borland is back after missing most of 2010 with an injury.

Falling: Purdue. Too many offseason injuries, too many questions for a team already struggling to keep pace with heavyweights Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State in the Leaders Division. Fortunately, the NCAA was in a giving mood with backup QB Robert Marve, whose experience will help the ‘Boilers win four of their first five. After that? May not win again.

On the spot: Joe Bauserman. It’s only a matter of time before Ohio State’s fifth-year senior quarterback gives way to freshman Braxton Miller. But can he hold it together in the meantime? And can he use his knowledge of the offense to help Miller navigate the rough spots when he finally has lost the job?